Retired teacher awakened by sweeper's noise

Commissioner says no one else has complained about late-night cleaning.

Commissioner says no one else has complained about late-night cleaning.

April 08, 2007

The episode was like South Bend's version of Tiananmen Square, where a lone Chinese student stood defiantly in front of a military tank in 1989. Joyce Boaler, a petite, retired schoolteacher, faced off last week against a giant street sweeper that had interrupted her sleep. She was mad. Boaler said she had dozed off on her couch with her dog when she was awakened about 9:10 p.m. Tuesday by a noise loud enough to send vibrations through her south-side house. At first, she said, she thought it was some kids with a booming sound system in their car. Then she noticed the reflections from yellow flashing lights. As the noise continued, Boaler said, she put on her slippers and marched outside to confront the offending street sweeper. "I didn't give them the finger," Boaler said, "because I thought they would run over me if I did." She demanded the driver tell her why he was disturbing the quiet neighborhood when people were trying to sleep. He told her, she said, that late-night sweeping is done because that's when fewer cars are on the streets. Street Commissioner Sam Hensley said the same thing. The city has five street sweepers, he said. Two of them work overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. They concentrate on the main thoroughfares and neighborhoods that have off-street parking, Hensley said. The three daytime sweepers focus on inner-city neighborhoods with a lot of street parking. People there are likely to be at work or school during the day, he said. "They're giant machines," Boaler said, "and the noise, the noise is terrible." She described it as both a low-pitched rumble and a high-pitched squeal. "The decibel level is so high that it's breaking the city limit, I'm sure it is," she concluded. Hensley disputed that. He said the sounds from the sweepers are well below the level set by city ordinance, which is 55 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The sweepers don't drive in reverse, he said, because that would trigger a backup alarm. Since they travel 6 mph, Hensley said, they probably are not in front of Boaler's house for more than a few seconds, even if they make two passes to cover both sides of the street. Hensley said his crews are doing the best they can to keep the city clean. He once had 10 trucks and more men to do the job, he said, but the fleet was reduced as part of the budget trims done by the city. Three of the sweepers are brand new, he said, and two are older models. He worries about replacing the older ones when they break down. Hensley said he doesn't recall anyone else ever calling to gripe about the nighttime sweeping. The fact that Boaler complained amazed him, he said. "I don't know what to tell you,'' Hensley said. "We're out there trying to do our job." That didn't matter to Boaler, who complained to anyone who would listen. "I shouted at the mayor's office," Boaler said. "It didn't do any good." Nancy J. Sulok's columns appear on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. You can reach her at nsulok@sbtinfo.com, or by writing c/o South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626, telephone (574) 235-6234.